Centre, Sindh agree to hold talks on canals project

In a significant development, the federal government has agreed to initiate talks with the Sindh government to address the latter’s concerns over the canal projects.

The breakthrough came during a phone call between Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah and Sindh's Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon. Both leaders expressed commitment to resolving the dispute through peaceful negotiation, Express News reported.

Rana Sanaullah stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif had instructed the centre to address Sindh's reservations.

“The federal government supports fair resource distribution among all provinces,” he said, reiterating that no province’s water can be diverted unlawfully.

Sanaullah emphasised that the issue should not be politicised, adding that the 1991 agreement and IRSA Act safeguard provincial rights.

“Dialogue and consultation are the solution to every problem,” he added.

Sharjeel Memon said that the PPP and the people of Sindh hold serious concerns about the proposed canals. He reaffirmed Sindh’s position on the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord and welcomed federal dialogue efforts.

The dispute centres on a federal plan to construct six canals diverting water from the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert. The Rs211.4 billion project aims to cultivate 400,000 acres of barren land but has sparked strong opposition in Sindh.

Earlier, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned the party might exit the ruling coalition if its concerns were not addressed.

Bilawal fired a warning shot at the ruling ally's bows, demanding immediate scrapping of the controversial canals project or the PPP will abandon the government, leaving it stranded and severing all ties.

"The PPP is demanding that the federal government should immediately stop the controversial canals project and accept our objections, otherwise the PPP won't go along with you," he cautioned at his party's public meeting in Hyderabad on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Saturday said that the controversial canal project would die down before the 2025-26 federal budget.